Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Environmental advocates say time is running out to save a federal fund that helps improve local parks, pools, and playgrounds.

For decades the Land and Water Conservation Fund has given a boost to improvement projects. They range in size from as small as parking lots for local swimming pools to as large as millions of dollars in improvements for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Wayne National Forest.

Ricardo Granados of the Ohio Environmental Council says, whether they know it or not, many Ohioans have likely benefited from this fund.

A large-scale volunteer program at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is turning 25 this year.

The Trailblazers program started in 1993, with the opening of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Participants work in pairs patrolling 110 miles of trail in the national park and assisting visitors with everything from flat tires to basic first aid.